


Welcome to the Neighborhood & Welcome to Our Hearts

by Lukutoukka



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Canon-Typical Drinking, Fluff, Getting Together, Multi, Polyamory, concussion mention, references to mental illness
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-09
Updated: 2019-06-09
Packaged: 2020-04-23 17:55:54
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,118
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19156027
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Lukutoukka/pseuds/Lukutoukka
Summary: He saw them for the first time the morning two days after he moved in. He ran into them a few weeks later. With a little help from his favorite d-man, maybe he could be in their lives for a lot longer than that.





	Welcome to the Neighborhood & Welcome to Our Hearts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [B_Frizzy](https://archiveofourown.org/users/B_Frizzy/gifts).



> Lots of thanks – to Frizzy, for the [amazing art](https://vicioushyperbolizer.tumblr.com/post/185482309091/art-for-omgcpreversebang-story-by), to Den & Drask for the cheerleading and beta-ing (wouldn't have made it without y'all!) and to the mods of the rev bang, for the orga of this and for being so understanding!

**NOW: SAN JOSÉ**

**_Sharks Sign Chow to 7 year, $30 Million Contract_ **

_After long contract talks, the San José Sharks sign their goaltender Christopher Chow to a seven year long contract worth $30 Million. Chow, who replaced Sandström as starting goalie during the last season, had a big part in bringing the Sharks into the second round of the Stanley Cup playoffs and kept a saving percentage of XXX during the regular season. Chow grew up in San José and is reported to have a strong positive influence on the team. All parties expressed their satisfaction at the successful conclusion of the contract talks. Although the details of the contract have not been made public, it is reported to contain a partial no trade clause._

***

Chowder had been half-heartedly looking for a new house – actually it should probably be house, full stop, seeing as he had been living in a rented apartment before – during the contract talks, but the day he signed his new contract – long term, partial NTC, the whole shebang – was the day he started looking in earnest.

It took a little while, but he (okay, his kick ass real estate agent) finally found a cute little house out in the suburbs, that’s probably still technically too big for him alone, but he’s maybe kind of planning on taking in a rookie next season. It was a two story building, with wooden exterior and open, light rooms. A hedge surrounded the backyard, high enough that the yard – with trees! – wasn’t visible to anyone but the second story windows of the neighbours. It afforded a bit of privacy that Chowder appreciated.

He had kind of hoped that his neighbours maybe weren’t all that interest in hockey in general, but on the day of the move – about a month out from training camp – he noticed two hockey sticks leaning on his neighbours’ veranda. The houses in his street all looked much like his own: Although this one was painted a friendly, soft pink, it had the same white window frames his had and solar panels on the roof – and on top of that the aforementioned hockey sticks outside the front door.

When he’d arrived in the morning to make sure everything was ready for the movers to bring his stuff later in the day, there were also two cars parked in the driveway. Later, when he opened the door for the movers, he noticed the cars were gone. Even later still, the sticks were gone, one of the cars – a Mustang! – was back and Chowder hadn’t caught a glimpse of his neighbours yet.

Well, that wasn’t true – his neighbours on the other side, a retired couple, had introduced themselves after the movers had left. The neighbours right across the street, Linda and Emily, had waved during the day from where they were gardening, but hadn’t come over – he’d met the two of them when he’d toured the house and again when he’d been over to sign the papers. One of their neighbouring houses had a for sale sign in its yard, and on the other side seemed to live a young couple with a baby – at least there had been a young guy with a baby talking to Emily.

So he had at least seen all his direct neighbours but the ones with the hockey sticks on his first day.

He saw _them_ for the first time the morning two days after he moved in.

**SOME YEARS EARLIER: SAMWELL**

Cait was _deeply_ unimpressed by this…party and _strongly_ considered leaving. She’d made it two complete years at Samwell without attending a frat party, and an hour into being at this one, she thought she really could have gone longer. Actually, she probably could have gone her entire career at Samwell without ever visiting a frat party.

It wasn’t even that she didn’t like parties – no, she liked a good party as much as anyone – which had been one of the reasons she’d agreed to come (the others being free booze, the promise of cute sports guys, free booze, half her team being here and, oh, free booze) – but this wasn’t what she’d define a good party as. Neither the quality of the music (actually pretty good, if bass heavy) nor its sound level (just on that side of too much) made up for the fact that the dancefloor was more of a dance corner, too small for more than ten people at a time, or the fact that literally everything was sticky. She blamed the “tub juice”, a concoction that smelled like a cheap distillery and from which she kept as far away as possible. On top of all of that she had yet to find a good looking athlete who wasn’t completely wasted.

All of which was to say that she was looking for the friends who had talked her into coming, so she could tell them that she’d join her other friends at their regular haunt.  At least there, she knew what to expect and everything would be less _sticky_.

She’d just spotted one of her friends on the other side of the room, when she bumped into someone. Or someone bumped into her?

They bumped into each other.

“Oh, sorry,” she said, at the same time as the guy she’d run into said: “Damn, sorry – Nurse, you fucker, watch your feet, man!”

So that was how she met Dex. (And Nursey, because he had both arms slung around Dex’s shoulders, grinning unapologetically, before saying something to Dex too low for her to hear, giving her finger guns and vanishing into the crowd.)

**NOW: SAN JOSÉ**

They looked like they jumped right out of an ad for some sports company – albeit probably different companies, their outfits weren’t coordinated – both tall and clearly in good shape, considering they were literally sprinting down the sidewalk right now. The guy (copper hair, basketball shorts and a faded red t-shirt that clashed with his hair) reached their front yard just a step or so before her (skin tight work out clothes, brown hair in a ponytail), but when he slowed down, halfway turning around to her, she tackled him to the ground, both of them laughing. Great form on the tackle too, as far as Chowder could see.

After that first time, Chowder saw them more or less regularly, since their routines seem just as settled as his usually were – even though he was still settling into the changes moving brought, it was easy for him to adjust, with his neighbor as a constant background noise: It was the two of them coming back from their run together every other morning or so, around the time Chowder makes his first cup of coffee in the morning; it was her, leaving in the morning in a suit, a sports bag slung over her shoulder most days and a travel mug in her hand, getting into the Mustang. Him, leaving later than her and coming back earlier in the other car.

The weekend a little over a week after he first moved in, he was gone the entire saturday; First, his usually morning training, then he met some of his teammates and then he picked up one if his favorite d-men from the airport, Tater, who insisted on visiting the new house. When he made it back home with Tater trailing after him, there was a small pie on his porch. The accompanying note said _“Welcome to the neighborhood! Your next door neigbors Dex & Cait” _ in a cheery almost cursive. The pie seemed to be a berry mix and it was very, very good – although he had to fight Tater for every bite of it.

**SOME YEARS EARLIER: SAMWELL**

“I cannot believe you asked me to “go steady” during one of my games on a sign that’s glittery pink,” Cait said, but she was also laughing and leaning into Dex, so there. He used the opportunity and pressed a kiss on her temple, before burying his nose in her hair. It was still wet from the shower she took, and it smelled curiously like berries.

“Couldn’t very well do so during one of my games now, could I?” he asked her, which made her laugh even more. “I’m really glad you said yes though,” he told her hair, and she sobered enough to kiss him.

***

They fell into a routine so quickly, although not without growing pains. They didn’t take any of the same classes, they both had to juggle their team and academics and neither of them liked sleeping together in a dorm bed.

But they managed. They started going on runs and working out together.

They didn’t work on the same exercises, but they met up for study sessions anyway.

Cait started spending the night over occasionally when Dex got a room in the Haus for Junior year and, for their Senior year, they took a small off campus apartment.

That one actually was one of their biggest fights, but Cait was adamant that they could make it work. And they did. It was a little cramped, but it was theirs.

And when Dex was fighting with his head, his future and his dreams, it was quiet and dark.

**NOW: SAN JOSÉ**

“Tater, what are you doing?”

It was earlier than Chowder usually got up, but Tater had been clanking around the kitchen long enough that he’d felt compelled to get up anyway. His kitchen… was a bit of a mess.

“Make cinnamon bun apple pie for dish,” Tater said, as if that explained everything, when really, it didn’t explain anything but the apple peel and _maybe_ the smell of cinnamon.

“I… At this hour?”

Tater shrugged and continued doing whatever that was he was doing. “Jet lag,” was what he offered as an explanation this time and well. That, Chowder couldn’t argue with.

“Coffee?” he asked and Tater pointed to the table and the pot of coffee on it. “Amazing, thank you, Tater. If coffee and pie is a regular thing, you’re very welcome to stay forever. Wait, is that the neighbor’s dish?”

“Yes. Told you, pie is for return dish. Bad luck and bad manners to return a borrowed dish empty. Can you open oven for me?”

***

“We should bring dish over while the pie is still warm,” Tater said as they have breakfast – the pie had been baked covered and then uncovered, while the kitchen had been cleaned and breakfast prepared and now it was on the cooling rack, smelling delicious.

Chowder answered before he really thought about it. “They probably won’t be home for a while still.”

Tater put down his utensils. “Oh? How you know?”

“They, uh,” Chowder tried to stare his eggs into submission, without a lot of success. “They usually come back while I make breakfast.”

“I see,” Tater said, expressing about the same level of impressedness with Chowder as the eggs. “Total coincidence you regularly see them coming back from run.”

**SOME YEARS EARLIER: SAMWELL**

“Caitlin darling, there you are!”

As always, her grandmother was peering over the rim of her glasses into the camera, and there was some ever-present knitting in her hands.

“Hi Grandma, I’m sorry I’m late!”

“Oh, nonsense, it’s just a few minutes! I’m sure you’ve got lots to do right now. Tell me, how are you and that boy of yours?”

Cait smiled at her laptop. Grandma Elise _loved_ Dex more than anyone else in her family – and they all liked him, luckily. She never passed up the opportunity to talk to him or at least ask after him.

“He’s… okay. A little stressed with school, and like, there’s only so many games left for him to play, you know? I don’t think he’s quite sure what he’ll do without it.”

On the screen, Elise nodded. “But he’s still sure he made the right decision, not playing?” Cait nodded. “Well then, I am sure he will figure it out. And how about you honey, do you know what you’ll do without volleyball?”

“I… I’m not sure. But… I have a couple of offers to play, semi professional. Dex and I talked about it, and I think I might take one of them, if I can get a job in the same area, you know?”

“Really? Do you have a preference already?”

Cait hesitated a little. “Well… San José is one of them, actually. It would be a big step for Dex, so we haven’t decided anything yet, but… Maybe. Coming back home would be nice.”

“Oh, but that is fabulous! Honey, I know this is a little out of the blue, and I didn’t want to just surprise you with this, but if you two have considered San José anyway, I’m just going to come right out with it – I’m going to move out of my house, and if you and your Dex are interested, I would like you two to have it.”

“I – Grandma, what? What are you saying?”

“Shush, honey. I know what you’re thinking, but I’m not going to a nursing home yet! I just want to move somewhere hip and young, honey. Besides, the house is way too big for just me – I don’t need this much space!”

“Grandma…”

“Now, I know this is coming as a surprise, but nothing is decided yet anyway. I want you to talk about this with Dex, okay, and then we’ll see. It would be so wonderful to have the two of you closer again! So, tell me about your week!”

**NOW: SAN JOSÉ**

Cait insisted on trying to carry him piggyback for the last leg of their run, despite his protests of being too heavy.

“Shut up, you’re lighter than you were during college, I can do this,” she’d said and he’d given in and climbed on her back. It wasn’t a too long stretch until home, because Cait liked to push herself, but neither of them was actually stupid about this. Still, Cait liked to go fast, partner on her back or no, and they were both concentrated on their own front yard, not their neighbours, so –

“Ouch”, someone who wasn’t Cait said from beneath Dex. Dex wasn’t entirely sure what directions were right now, and he didn’t particularly want to open his eyes and find out. Gods, how embarrassing. He carefully rolled over (and off whoever he’d fallen on) and put his hands flat on the grass, on the assumption that anything grassy was down to earth and therefore good. Someone was laughing a little.

“Oh my god, I am so sorry, are you okay?” Cait was saying from somewhere, and Dex felt the person next to him move and get up.

“It’s fine, it’s fine,” they were saying, “I’ve taken worse hits.” Cait laughed at that along with the other two people, so it couldn’t be too bad. Dex opened his eyes and blinked at the blue, cloudless sky above him. Out of the corner of his eyes, he saw Cait and two guys, but he couldn’t really make out any of their features.

“I’m Chris,” one of the guys said, “and this is Alexei. We were just on our way over, to bring back your pie dish. Hey, is your partner alright?” Dex took a deep breath, but before he could move, Cait was leaning over him.

“Dex, honey, are you alright? Did you hit your head?”

“I know concussion protocol,” a new voice said and then _Alexei Mashkov_ was leaning into Dex’s field of vision.

Dex was so startled by that, he said: “Yeah, so do I.”

“Hockey player?” the other guy asked and fuck – that was _Christopher Chow_.

“Yeah,” Dex managed, and sat up. “I’m good though Cait, I promise.”

Cait gave him a long look, but she also said “Okay,” and offered him a hand up. He took it and let her pull him up. After giving her a reassuring smile and taking a deep breath, he turned around to Chow and Mashkov.

“Hi, I’m Dex,” he said, which started another round of introductions, albeit without hand shaking – Mashkov, no, Alexei had Dex’s and Cait’s pie dish in his hands, with what looked like apple pie in it, and Dex and Cait were sweaty and a little dirty from the fall.

“Well,” Chow– Chris said, “we were just gonna drop of your dish, but why don’t you two get cleaned up and then come on over for some pie and coffee?”

***

Tater was throwing Chowder _very_ significant – and entirely unsubtle – looks once they were back in his kitchen. At least he’d waited that long, Chowder told himself.

“Well,” Tater started, his amusement evident in his voice. “Cute neighbors, huh?”

Somehow, “Oh, shut up Tater,” didn’t impress Tater all that much.

“You invite them over. Even though they pretty clearly know who we are. You never do that.”

“Maybe I just want to have a good relationship with my neighbors, how about that?” Chowder asked, but Tater knew no shame.

“Oh yes, you want _something,_ ” he said, waggling his eyebrows. Chowder sighed at him.

“I regret ever having taught you the subtleties of English, Mashkov.” Although to be honest, there wasn’t anything subtle about Tater just then.

***

The problem was – the problem was that Tater wasn’t _wrong_. He did think that Dex and Cait were … cute, for lack of a better word. Looked amazing together.

And then he got to know them, which made everything worse.

***

They’d decided to be upfront about knowing who Chris and Tater (“You play hockey, you call me Tater!”) were, and not make a big deal about it – although admittedly, early into their friendship, Dex had a moment or two where he had to keep the feeling of surrealness at bay.

The fact that Chris just kind of … fit into their already existing routines didn’t help the feeling of surrealness at first. They had to work around his schedule more once the season started, and he was gone a lot, but otherwise it was as if he filled a space they hadn’t known was there.

Cait put it into words first, while Chris was gone on a longer road trip, but they’d both clearly been thinking about it for a while, so when Chris came back home, they sat down for a talk and laid out their thoughts.

“We understand if you want to think about this some,” Dex said, but Chris shook his head.

“No, I – I don’t want to think about this some. Yes, I want to. I mean, obviously, I do.” he was babbling a little, and Dex thought it was super endearing.

Cait grinned at Dex as she climbed into Chris’ lap. “Chris, dear, are you gonna kiss me or what?”

**Author's Note:**

> You can find me on [tumblr](https://vanillivilovesreus.tumblr.com).


End file.
